We all had those moments in school when we went over to our mates place, only to find a crop of marijuana sitting neatly in the back garden. We then might have dismissed those parents as irresponsible, but one man is making the argument for combining parenting with marijuana.

Mickey Martin is the head of a group dubbed ‘Parents 4 Pot‘, and he’s on a mission to change the world’s perception of cannabis and parenting. They’ve already started a Facebook group, and will soon launch an educational website.

Martin is a long-time marijuana reform activist, and is also the author of ‘Medical Marijuana 101’. He also founded a marijuana edibles company, and is the father of two boys. He became a staunch weed-activist when he was sentenced to probation for marijuana manufacturing and distribution charges that could have landed him in prison, away from his family, for an entire decade.

That was a stark reality. There are many parents who lose their freedom, or whose children lose their freedom, every day to these policies and laws, and as a society we sit by and watch. It is not okay anymore.

Like many activists before them, Parents 4 Pot argues that marijuana is safer and less destructive than legal drugs like alcohol. Which is, you know, considered socially acceptable for parents to consume. Martin even suggested that marijuana use could improve parenting.

We are likely better parents than many because one of the positive attributes of cannabis is its calming properties,” and if you have kids who are at one another’s throats all day, taking the edge off with cannabis, as compared to the pills or booze a lot of parents opt for because they are ‘legal,’ is a far better option for many.

Martin’s key aim is to rid marijuana-using parents of the daily stigma that they face.

We are neighbours, friends, family members and the guy who works at your local Starbucks. We are not criminals, and we certainly are not bad parents.

[Source : Huffington Post]